“He said it might be useful.” He shrugged. “Besides, it was fun. It was a puzzle. It took a long time, but I got pretty good at it.”
“And what else did Hu Chang teach you?”
“All kinds of things,” Luke said vaguely. “He knows a lot of stuff. But you know that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. But he never taught me anything like that.” She turned as Hu Chang caught up with them. “What have you been teaching my son?” She made a face. “Besides creating miracle fertilizers and heaven knows what other concoctions?”
“To concentrate and use his six senses.” He nodded at Luke. “Or any others that he might discover. I detest wasting a skill. He’s exceptionally good at focusing.”
“I was telling him that you never taught me anything like that.”
“You were my friend, not my apprentice. One must let a friend decide for themselves.” He said to Luke, “Though sometimes an apprentice can become a friend as long as the respect remains. We will consider that possibility when I return.”
Catherine stiffened. “You’re leaving?”
“Not until morning. I only came to say good night.”
She tried to hide her relief. “But I’ll see you in the morning?”
He nodded. “It will be early. About four, I think.”
“But I’ll be able to talk to you.”
He smiled faintly. “Talk. Not persuade.” He glanced back at Luke. “You will guard her?”
Luke frowned. “If you think I should.”
“Always,” Hu Chang said. “It is your duty and your privilege.” He turned away. “Sleep well.” The next moment, he was walking away from them.
She wanted to go after him. She felt sad … and wrong. She had never lied to him even by omission.
Luke was watching him, too. “You said he wouldn’t go.”
She nodded. “And I meant it. He won’t be leaving you, Luke.”
“But he just said that—”
“It will be all right.” She started back toward the palace. “I told you, I’ll take care of it.”
* * *
Two hours later, spray mist was striking Catherine’s cheeks as Agent Les Caudell guided the speedboat through the harbor. He was a small, fiftyish man with gray-streaked hair and compact, muscular body who hadn’t smiled once since he’d picked her up fifteen minutes ago.
“Is everything ready? When I called Venable back, he said that you’d also be flying the helicopter.” Catherine’s gaze was fixed on the lights of the city in the distance. “I want to be out of Hong Kong within the hour.”
“You’re in a hurry. You won’t be so eager once we cross into Tibet,” Caudell said dryly. “That area where I’m going to drop you is hell on Earth. Just substitute ice for flames.”
“You’re familiar with it? Good.”
“As familiar as I can be. I’ve been assigned to Kadmus for six years.”
“What do you know about him?”
“Not much. He likes it that way. He makes sure that the villagers don’t talk to outsiders.”
“How?”
“They disappear, and when they’re found, they lack body parts.”
“That would be effective. Who’s Kadmus’s chief enforcer?”
“They come and go. Kadmus has a nasty temper. At the moment it’s Peter Brasden, a South African mercenary. I asked Venable to e-mail you photos of both Kadmus and Brasden. Brasden walks very carefully around Kadmus, but he likes power, too, and might be lured to sell him out.”
“I don’t intend to be around long enough to lure him to do anything. Venable said that my best bet would be to get into the palace through the roof. Is the roof guarded?”
“No, but you’ll have a hell of a time getting through the guards in the courtyard. Brasden keeps them in tip-top shape, and he doesn’t tolerate carelessness. He knows it could be his neck if he did.”
“Where does Kadmus keep Erin Sullivan?”
“She’s allowed the run of the place, but he’s given her quarters in the south wing.”
“Run of the place? Are we sure that she’s a prisoner?”
“We’re sure,” he said grimly. “I think he likes the idea of making her feel that no matter what she does, she’s totally in his power. She tried to escape twice and paid a high price.”
“How do you know?” She gazed at him shrewdly, then guessed. “You bribe someone in the palace. Can he help me?”
“No, I wouldn’t ask him. I’ve worked too hard to establish a connection.” He added, “But I can give you a map of the palace and the times the guard changes.”
“Don’t be too generous,” she said sarcastically. “How much will a map of the palace help me?”
“Very little. It’s kind of a small palace. Only nine or ten rooms and scantily furnished. Kadmus would probably be more comfortable evicting the monks from the bigger monastery on Milchang, the next mountain over, but he likes the idea of living in that moth-eaten grandeur.” He gave her a cool glance. “And I’m giving you what I can afford to give. I’m not sacrificing one contact and certainly not my life to make it easy for you. Venable thinks you’re some super-duper agent who can whisk down and pull Sullivan out of that hellhole. You’re a legend here in Hong Kong, but legends die just like anyone else.”
She stared at him in surprise. “You’re angry. Why?”
He was silent, then finally said, “It’s stupid sending you in alone. A Special Forces team might have a chance. You’re going to get her killed.”
“No, Venable is right. I might get myself killed, but I represent less threat to Kadmus than an attack force. Venable would get another chance if I screw up.” She smiled crookedly. “Maybe he’ll send you in, Caudell.”
He didn’t answer.
Then she understood. “Why, you wanted to be the one who went after her,” she said softly. “Did you offer?”
“Yes,” he said curtly. “Venable turned me down.”
“Why? You have the connections, you know the country. You’ve got to be good if Venable assigned you to Kadmus.”
“But I’m not a legend.” He paused. “And he thinks I’m too emotionally involved to function efficiently.”
“Really? Because you hate Kadmus? Or that you’re overly sympathetic toward Erin Sullivan?”
“Both.”
She looked at him thoughtfully. “But you never wanted to go and fight that scumbag on his own turf until Sullivan came on the scene.”
“Dammit.” His voice was suddenly harsh. “I like her. Okay? I’ve been in Tibet for six years, and I’d heard about her, watched her, as she traveled to the villages and monasteries on stories.”
“Did you ever meet her?”
“No, that wouldn’t have been according to recommended procedure. You know we don’t hobnob with the media unless we need to use them.” He paused. “But I watched her at the earthquake zone. She was … something else.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“And did they also tell you what that son of a bitch has been doing to her?”
“Only that it’s bad, and we have to get her out right away.” She stared him in the eye. “And I will find a way to get her out, Caudell. That stuff about my being some kind of legend is pure bullshit. I’m just a damn good agent, and I’m probably the most stubborn woman you’ve ever met. That works pretty well sometimes. I’m not going to ask you to give up your contact. We’ve got to give Sullivan an escape hatch if it doesn’t work well this time. But I’ve got to know if your resentment is going to interfere. I can’t afford to let that happen.”
He was silent. “You get her out of that place, and I’ll stay on that ledge until they bring out the big guns.” He grimaced. “No, maybe even a little longer.”
“No, this isn’t going to be a suicide mission. I’ll need you later. You leave us on our own and get out of there if you have to do it. What kind of equipment do you have for me aboard the copter?”
“Cold-weather protective gear for both you and Sullivan, Emergency equipment, first-aid pack, radio, usual weaponry. Have you ever been on your own in conditions like that?”
“Not in those mountains. I’ve been working in South America lately. Four years ago, I was on a mission in Mongolia. I nearly froze to death before I got to the rendezvous. Not pleasant.”
“You’ll find it less pleasant to be stranded in Kadmus’s little kingdom.” He docked the speedboat at the heliport. “You’d better hope you get out of there in time for a pickup.”